Personal ramblings

So, here we go. My main passion is Jesus. He truly is the Way, the Truth, & the Life. I would rather go through the most horrible calamities in life with Him than any of the troubles of life without Him. When I think of what He went through on that cross, & then realize He went through all of that for me, for ME, is all I can do is worship Him. Therefore I will share a lot of posts regarding Him; devotionals, prayers, Scripture passages, etc. If anyone doesn't know Him personally, He is today extending an invitation to get to know Him. To know Him is definitely to love Him.

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When Only Blood Could Do it - #6129
Thursday, July 8, 2010

He's a noted surgeon who wants to make a difference in the world. So once a year, he dedicates a month to going to Central America to do volunteer medical work. Not long ago, he was in an emergency medical clinic performing urgent surgery on a young boy. It was in a very remote location. The boy started losing blood faster than expected, and he clearly needed blood. The problem was that he had a rare blood type that only two percent of the population carries. And this village clinic certainly didn't have anything that rare. In that critical moment, the doctor suddenly put down his scalpel and went to another room - where he gave blood. He, too, had that rare blood. The boy got the blood he needed, the surgeon returned to finish the operation, and the boy came through just fine.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When Only Blood Could Do it."

A boy's life hanging in the balance; his only hope - blood given by the only one who had what it took to save him. Boy, I understand that. Mine was once a life hanging in the balance, and my only hope was the gift of someone's blood - the only One who had the blood that could meet my need.

Some have called Him the Great Physician. Many call Him Savior. We all call Him Jesus. And my only hope of escaping the spiritual death penalty for the sins of my life was blood - His blood; the blood of the only Man who had no sin of His own to pay for - God's one and only Son. No matter what religion you are, no matter how religious or spiritual you are, His blood is your only hope, too.

All of our theories, all of our systems for getting to God and getting to heaven are, at best, guesswork. Only God can tell us what it takes to get to Him; to be forgiven of that sin that makes it impossible for Him to have a relationship with us. And God does tell us in Hebrews 9:22, "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." Sin carries the eternal death penalty of being separated from our God now and forever. And a death penalty cannot be paid by doing nice things. Someone has to die; and Someone did. Hebrews 9:26, our word for today from the Word of God, says of Christ: "Now He has appeared once for all...to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself." Incredibly, Jesus said to God the Father, "Let Me die so Ron doesn't have to." You could put your name there. "Father, let Me die so (your name) doesn't have to."

If you get to the end of your life and you find out that you have missed heaven, that your eternal destination turned out to be hell, don't blame God. He gave His only Son to die so you would not have to go there. If a rescuer extends his hand and you don't grab his hand, don't blame the rescuer. In this case, the Rescuer is God's Son, reaching for you. He didn't just donate blood so you could be saved. He poured out His life-blood, dying for you. It's the blood of Jesus that could cover every sin of your life. It is because of that blood shed for you that God is willing to say to you today, "You are forgiven. You are clean. You are Mine forever." You can see why what you do with Jesus is the decisive choice of your life. God will never forget what you do with His Son, because He gave His Son for you.

This is a spiritual rescue we're talking about. And your only hope is to grab the hand of Jesus, God's rescuer, with all the faith you've got. That step will trigger a cleansing miracle of God. In the Bible's words, "The blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). Every sin you've ever committed, erased from God's book forever today, if you will tell Jesus that you are His from this day on - that His blood, shed for you, is your only hope.

At our website, I've got a brief explanation of just how to begin this life-giving relationship with Jesus. If God is stirring in your heart at all, would you check out the website YoursForLife.net.

Join the ConversationThere's an old hymn that says it pretty powerfully: "Just as I am, without one plea, but that Your blood was shed for me. And that You bid me come to Thee. O Lamb of God, I come."




Fatal Refusal - #6136
Monday, July 19, 2010

It may happen to a community once in a lifetime, or even once in a century. But sometimes there are those disasters that define and redefine a town for years to come. The Johnstown, PA flood would be one famous historic example. You've probably never heard of the flood that swept into my wife's hometown years ago, but it was a major defining event for that town. She was a teenager when, with just a brief warning from upstream, the local creek burst out of its banks into a massive flash flood. While there was major damage done to the community, thankfully, only a few lives were lost. There were some older folks who lived on the south side of town. Rescuers came by their creekside house before that wall of water hit. They offered them a place in the lifeboat. They refused to get in. They said, "We've lived a long time, we've seen a whole lot. We've been fine this far. We'll be fine this time." They weren't. They died in that flood.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Fatal Refusal."

It's a deadly mistake to refuse to get in a lifeboat - especially when it comes to being rescued from an eternity that none of us wants. Tragically, a whole lot of people are saying to Jesus, "No thanks. I don't think I'm going to need You. After all, I've gotten this far without You. I've been fine up to here. I'll take my chances without You." Strong, self-reliant, doing things for yourself, and proudly refusing to put your trust in Jesus. And, according to the Bible, doomed. Because this one you can't do for yourself.

I have no right to say this unless God says it, because He is the final word on heaven and hell. And He couldn't make Himself clearer than He does in 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, our word for today from the Word of God. It's about the flood, it's about the Lifeboat called Jesus, and it's about the choice that determines your eternity. The Bible says, "The Lord Jesus will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power."

When that flood hit my wife's hometown, those folks who died didn't have to die. Provision had been made for them to live; to escape what was coming. But they wouldn't get in the lifeboat. On a cross, with nails driven through His hands and feet and a spear wound in His side, God's only Son, Jesus, died to pay for every wrong thing you and I have ever done. And we've lived long enough to have a long list of times we've done things our way instead of God's way. But Jesus paid for all of them. So the only people who will pay for their own sin are those who refused to trust the One who already paid for their sin.

So, God doesn't send anyone to hell. We send ourselves by refusing to get in the Lifeboat He provided at the cost of His life. It's a mistake I beg you not to make. You may have accomplished a lot in your life. You may be religious and respected. You may have done just about everything by yourself, but there's no way you can get your sins forgiven by yourself. No way you can remove what will keep you out of heaven. Only Jesus can do that. And His lifeboat is making one more pass by you right now, and He's asking you to get in. Some time will be the last time. If you've never given yourself to the Man who gave His life for you, please abandon the pride and the excuses that have kept you from Him. Tell Him, "Jesus, the battle's over. I'm Yours."

If you want to be sure you belong to Jesus the Rescuer, I'd like to send you my booklet, "Yours For Life" - it will help you nail down your personal relationship with Him. Just let me know you want it. The lifeboat's within your reach. And God's judgment is coming. Please get in while there's time.

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The Most Tragic Choice - #6143
Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Four boys in a house on fire; that's what happened to my friend's nephews. Thankfully, the Fire Department got the call early and they were there in minutes. It was clear there was no way they could go into that blaze to bring the boys out. But all four of them were huddled around a second floor window, which meant they could be saved. The firefighters quickly prepared to catch the boys. Then they yelled to them to jump into the waiting net below. The oldest boy jumped; he was safe. A second, then a third brother jumped to their rescue below. Their ten-year-old brother was the last one left at that upstairs window. He hesitated. The firefighters begged him to jump again and again. And every time, he refused. And sadly, it cost him his life.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Most Tragic Choice."

That is a heartbreaking story. It's a tragedy when someone dies because there was no one there to rescue them. It's an even greater tragedy when someone dies because they refused the rescuer who could have saved them.

It's a tragedy that has been repeated countless times to people that Jesus came to rescue from an eternity without Him. People who had a chance (maybe many chances) to jump into the saving arms of Jesus, but they never did. Actually, God bringing us together today is another opportunity for you to choose life. When will it be too late to do that? Only God knows.

In some ways, the more religious you are, the more times you've heard about what Jesus did on the cross for you, the greater danger you're in. Because you may not even realize that you're in a burning house. Good people, religious people tend to live in the false security that they're okay because they know a lot about Jesus. They're trying to do things Jesus likes. But that ignores what it is that keeps a person out of heaven forever - their sin. All the wrong things you've ever done in your life. They are, in God's courtroom, a capital crime, punishable by eternal death. No one with sin can possibly live in the presence of a sinless God, and sin must be paid for.

And that fire of God's judgment on our self-willed, self-run life burns closer and closer every day we live. But God loves us so much that He acted dramatically to save us from the punishment we deserve. He sent His only Son to bear that punishment in our place. When Jesus was butchered and cut off from God on that awful cross, it was all the sins of my life He was paying for, and all of yours. Your only hope of rescue is to jump into the strong and waiting arms of Jesus and pinning all your hopes on Him. When have you done that? If you don't know you did, you probably didn't.

So God asks this sobering question in Hebrews 2:3, our word for today from the Word of God, "How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?" That's how most people miss heaven. They don't out-and-out reject what Jesus did. They just ignore His rescue; either not caring or mistakenly thinking that they'll make it out somehow. They won't. Only Jesus can save you.

And He's calling to you today...right now in your heart. He's saying, "When I went to that cross, I did all that for you to rescue you from your sin. So now, while there's time, jump into My arms." He's never dropped; He's never lost anyone who trusted Him to save them. But you have to make your move.

Thankfully, a lot of people have found our website a place where they can make sure they're safely in Jesus' arms. We've set it up to guide you through putting your trust in Heaven's Rescuer. I encourage you to visit us and let us help you on what could be a life-changing day for you. The website is yoursforlife.net. Or if you'd like to receive the same information in my little booklet, "Yours For Life," just call us for it at 877-741-1200.

Jesus, your Rescuer, is waiting right now with open arms. He's not only your best hope. He's your only hope. Let Him save you while there's time.

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